US grand jury indicts Chinese nationals for cyber-theft of research IP

A US federal grand jury has indicted four Chinese nationals for their alleged participation in a global computer hacking campaign to steal intellectual property and confidential business information (CBI) related to various research areas, including chemicals and infectious diseases. The indictment, announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on 19 July and unsealed just days before, accuses the defendants of being part of a plot to break into the computer systems of dozens of companies, universities and government agencies worldwide between 2011 and 2018.